Trial And Death Of Socrates example essay topic
433 words
"The Apology" In "The Apology", by Plato, Plato discusses the trial and death of Socrates, a great philosopher. Throughout The Apology, Socrates stands up for what he believes in, and will not back down. Socrates says things the way they are and consistently does so. There are many important points made throughout that prove this, but one that stands out to me is that Socrates states that the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing. "I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know". (Plato, 21d). I think Socrates means that he does not say that he knows something, when he really does not, like some men do, referring to Melutes. Basically, Socrates is saying that he is wiser than Melutes, even though neither of them know anything worthwhile. Also, he is saying that he is wiser because he knows that he knows nothing, and admits to it, whereas Melutes says that he knows basically everything. This makes a statement about how Socrates understands and looks at himself.
When Socrates says that he does not know anything does not mean that he is not smart, but that he admits to not knowing everything. Socrates was looked upon being such a wise man because he did not try to appear as wise; he just tried to be himself. As a philosopher, Socrates looked at many men, who were thought to be wise men. Socrates found that these men were actually not wise at all, but just playing a role.
These men would pretend to know the answers to questions that they did not know, once again referring to Melutes. Although, Socrates says the only thing he knows is that he knows nothing, he actually does know something. He knows that he does not know everything, whereas many people think that they do know everything. The difference between these people and Socrates is that Socrates is honest, in that he does not lie to others or himself, and that is why Socrates is considered a wise man. Word Count - 329 Work Cited Plato, Apology, in The Trial and Death of Socrates.
Translated G.M.A. Gru be. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing co., 1975.
